This invention relates generally to microwave terminating structures and more particularly to microstrip and stripline terminating structures.
As is known in the art, microstrip or stripline transmission lines are unbalanced transmission lines because the electric field travels in a dielectric medium disposed between the printed strip circuitry and one or two ground planes. To terminate such transmission lines the load device is placed between the ground plane and the strip circuitry. This type of termination, however, requires the physical removal of a portion of the dielectric material in order to insert the load device so that it is attached between the strip conductor and the ground plane in order to dissipate the energy in the line being terminated. While such a termination has been found adequate in many applications, the requirement for removing the portion of the dielectric material for insertion of a load device is a relatively complex and expensive manufacturing process.